Sharp County record., 1887-09-22
TEACHING.

ED. RECORD: read the article from
%avd HNFv InqRpssfatasssncau qRhpsftsss, aud agree with him in
regard to co Instant review. Nothing is
lost by keeping pupils constantly review
ing. l always give my pupils two lessons
at once-one advance aud one review,
and l find this a good way to keep the
past and present retained in the mind. l
am sure tina. if friend B. will try this
method he will find it good one. A
teacher has no business tostry how certain
methods will work. He will know how
they will work before be tries them, ii ne
has a knowledge of the mind and the re-
lation of cause and effect. There is a
materia medica of education as well as OF
medicine. and the one is just as fixed as
the other. The questions are frequently
asked, "Can we abolish the. spelling book
with good results?" How does the
sentence m ethod in reading work. "lS
moral suasion possible without the rod!'
A great many of our teachers are want
ing to know, who has practically answer
ed these uuestions2 What are the results!
Such cut and dried questions stand to new
education as the old method of laying out
land does to modern surveying. The two
foundation stones under the science OF ed
ucation are mental science and chlld-na-
ture. If these two are known, the rest
can be known ALSO Some may say that
mental science is in its infancy and child
nature are little understood. Granted; but
enough is fixed to enable reasoning and
knowing teachers to work out few OF
the more obvious problems without con-
tinual recurrence to the see-how-it-will-
work plan so popular among those who
are not accustomed to think out logically
the educational problems presented IN
school systems. That method of teach
ing which forces by mathematical meth
DDS the facts of grammar, arithmetic,
geography and history into the minds OF
pupils is not education; it is impression.
A mind crammed with dates, rules, ex-
ceptions, theories, laws and principles,
and may not be educated at oil. When
shall we come to understand this? Why
do we persist in saying that we teach
geography, when we only teach dates ana
names, and give the pupil no mental idea
of the country studied Real geography
as it exists IN the mind of the learner,
cannot be taught by question book or
established by percentage. What Is true
of this study is true of all others. The
mental conception of the fact must be
different from the words used to convey
the fact. Words, words. words +! Ever
lasting words Hasten the time when
teachers will understand that they are
only useful as instruments by which ideas
may be conveyed.
Our country schools will be improved
when the following results are reached
lst. The people must have higher ideals
concerning what school ought to be-
As long as they are satisfied with poor
teaching, they will have it. A better
quality would not be acceptable. They
will pay better salary for poor quality
they want than for good quality they
don't want. ID. Better salaries must be
paid, only to good teachers, not to those
better qualified in the fundamental
branches, but to those who understand
the science and practice of mind-deyei'
opment The general idea that we'll
qualified teacher is one who can pass ar
excellent examination in the fundamenta
branches must be greatly modified before
our country schools will ever greatly i'm
prove. W. W. HALL
Canton, Sep. 6, 81,